Kapitel 21: Stimulate
Due to the lack of supplies, the German forces were granted a rare two-day rest in Agdabia.
Qin Chuan took advantage of this time to get acquainted with his new role as squad leader.
The squad consisted of ten soldiers, a situation Qin Chuan found unfamiliar and uncomfortable. He didn't like being in command, and he worried about whether he could effectively lead his men. However, these concerns soon proved to be unnecessary.
Qin Chuan was fortunate that some of the soldiers under his command were familiar faces. Werner and a few others had been reassigned to his squad after their original unit suffered heavy losses during the assault on the British defensive line. Likewise, Qin Chuan's squad had lost over half of its members in battle, so they were merged under his leadership.
"So, you're our squad leader now!" Werner said. "God, it's hard to accept. I've been in the army for six months and only made it to private first class, and here you were, a private yesterday, and now you're a sergeant!"
"If you're not happy about it..." the baker chimed in, "you could try fighting like Frick did—come up with a plan to break through an enemy line that's been holding us back!"
"Forget it!" Werner replied with a laugh. "That's not my specialty! If I could choose, I'd rather we have a baseball game; then I could beat my squad leader on the field..."
With that, Werner mimed swinging a bat with his MP40 submachine gun, even making a "whack" sound with his mouth.
"Sergeant!" At that moment, a soldier approached Qin Chuan with an MP40 submachine gun, five magazines, and a pair of sergeant's stripes with yellow borders. He explained, "You were supposed to get two new uniforms, but the quartermaster says there's a severe shortage, so..."
"No, it's fine!" Qin Chuan understood. In the desert, with the challenges of supply and the ease with which uniforms could be damaged, a shortage of uniforms was normal.
Adding the rank insignia was simple—just stick them onto the collar. But the MP40 submachine gun... Qin Chuan held it for a moment, unsure of what to do with it.
"You could assign it to one of your men," Werner suggested, raising his own MP40. "That's what my old squad leader did."
Typically, in a German squad, the squad leader was issued an MP40, one soldier was a machine gunner with an assistant, and the remaining seven soldiers were armed with K98K rifles. Among those seven was an ammunition bearer, who carried extra ammo boxes and was responsible for resupply during battle... Qin Chuan had previously been that unlucky ammunition bearer.
Of course, this wasn't a strict rule. If a squad leader wasn't skilled with or didn't want to use the submachine gun, he could pass it on to one of his men... Many German soldiers preferred the MP40, as it was highly effective in close combat and assault situations.
"Alright!" Qin Chuan raised the MP40. "Who wants to use this?"
Instantly, several soldiers crowded around, eagerly volunteering:
"Sergeant, give it to me!"
"I can use it well!"
...
The only ones not competing for it were three types of soldiers: those who already had an MP40, like Werner; those who didn't need it, such as the machine gunner and his assistant; and those who knew they had no chance, like the ammunition bearer... Ammunition bearers were usually the less skilled soldiers in the squad, tasked with carrying extra ammo and managing resupply rather than fighting directly.
Qin Chuan glanced at the ammunition bearer standing to the side, a lean and somewhat shy soldier. He had eyed the MP40 briefly but quickly looked away when he noticed Qin Chuan watching him.
Perhaps because Qin Chuan had once been an ammunition bearer, he asked, "Soldier, what's your name?"
"Uh... sir!" the ammunition bearer stammered. "I-I-I... I'm Keller, sir!"
Qin Chuan understood why Keller was an ammunition bearer. His stutter was a significant disadvantage in battle, where clear and quick communication was crucial... If he took too long to speak, the entire squad could be dead before he got the words out.
However, an ammunition bearer didn't need to speak much; he just needed to understand orders and know where to deliver the ammo.
Seeing the eager looks from his men, Qin Chuan said, "Considering that Werner already has an MP40, which means our squad's firepower is already sufficient, and that the ammunition bearer needs to carry extra ammo and run around the battlefield, making a rifle cumbersome, I think the ammunition bearer is the most suitable person to have this submachine gun. Does anyone have any objections?"
Qin Chuan's decision surprised his men, but they couldn't deny that he made a good point... More importantly, German soldiers were accustomed to obeying their superiors, so they quickly responded:
"No, no objections!"
"I agree!"
...
"Good!" Qin Chuan tossed the MP40 to Keller and said, "It's yours!"
Keller was overwhelmed with emotion, so much so that his stutter worsened. He kept repeating, "Y-y-y..." but couldn't get anything else out.
"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" Werner said on his behalf, then turned to Keller and added, "I've said it for you, Keller, you can relax now!"
The German soldiers burst into laughter. Keller stood there, his face bright red with embarrassment, unsure whether to say more or stay silent.
Qin Chuan patted Keller on the shoulder, reassuring him, "It's okay, Keller. On the battlefield, it's not about how well you can talk, but how well you can use your weapon... The MP40 will speak much more smoothly than you, right?"
Keller nodded, then straightened up and gave Qin Chuan a proper salute.
As it turned out, Qin Chuan's decision was the right one...
In reality, people who are insecure and often feel discriminated against are more likely to respond positively to encouragement and develop in a constructive direction.
Keller was one such person, and Qin Chuan's encouragement hit the mark.
In his diary, Keller later wrote: "That day, I felt that the sergeant gave me more than just a submachine gun; he gave me confidence and respect. I suddenly knew what I needed to do, which was to show the enemy how smoothly this submachine gun could 'talk,' just as the sergeant said!"
From then on, Keller spent every spare moment practicing his marksmanship and tactics. Before long, he became one of the top submachine gunners in the unit, and Qin Chuan gained a fiercely loyal bodyguard.
After settling the relationships with his subordinates, Qin Chuan took some time to get to know his peers and superiors... After all, these were the comrades he would need to coordinate with and follow on the battlefield. For his own safety, it was wise to familiarize himself with them.
The squad leader of the first squad was the baker, which was no surprise, as Qin Chuan had just been transferred from that squad.
The second squad's leader was a sergeant named Berg, who was in his early twenties and had been in the army for three years. Since World War II began in 1939 and it was now 1941, a three-year soldier like Berg had likely received thorough training and had two years of combat experience.
Qin Chuan himself led the third squad.
The company commander was Captain Three-Fingers Basil.
As for the platoon leader... Qin Chuan had no idea who that was.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein